07032019-LSTC-01.qxd 3/6/2019 7:59 PM Page 1 c m y b INCREDIBLE PRIYANKA Bollywood star Priyanka Chopra is collaborating with Amazon Studios on a project that will be announced soon, its head Jennifer Salke said. PTI TRIBUNE Moving on Actress Kubbra Sait said people have bullied her by calling her Cobra instead of her name but she feels proud of her identity today. IANS CHANDIGARH | THURSDAY | 7 MARCH 2019 Web is the star the many liberties that the platform provides. Manpriya Singh A Who would have expected Bollywood star Akshay Kumar to star in a web series? Well, now that he is making a debut, it is time to dig in and find out more about the charm of the digital world while back, web series meant usually good content, bold actors, but never busy actors. Credit rolls mostly included familiar faces from small or even silver screen, but let’s be honest, they were seldom sought-after names in the mainstream way. At least it would never be any of the three Khans, or an Akshay Kumar or a Ranbir or a Ranveer right? Till it’s actually one of them! Akshay Kumar announcing his digital debut as a lead actor with the series ‘The End once’ again puts the spotlight on the medium. “If I were to make a small confession here, it was my son Aarav who suggested that I make my digital debut as that’s what the youth is hooked on to. On this medium, I want to create something extraordinary and connect with them,” he reasoned at the launch. In sync with what Saif Ali Khan said in almost every interview post the success of Sacred Games; recognising the potential of an international platform. GREAT CHANCE Opines Bidita Bag, who debuted with the medium with her short film, premiered on Voot, and is all set for the soon-to-be aired The Sholay Girl, “For independent actors and directors, who do not belong to any of the big gangs of Bollywood, getting work is impossible, but this medium gives a chance to all the outside talent get a chance to be noticed.” As for the traditional entertainment platforms, “Cinema halls are here to stay. It’s not like they are going to shut down.” She adds, “Also it’ll be a while before literally everyone in India has access to digital medium, which is high speed internet.” Nevertheless, there’s no denying the heat that filmmakers are facing, especially in offering good content. “Now the makers will have to offer really good content. It’s the creative freedom at every level that is attracting everyone to web,” she adds. SRK NEXT? THE LIST GOES ON… After all, one by one, they’ve all been crossing the fence — Richa Chadha, Ali Fazal (Mirzapur), Radhika Apte (Lust Stories), Nawazuddin Siddiqui FIRE IN THE BELLY: AKSHAY KUMAR (Sacred Games), Rajkummar Rao, Vicky Kaushal, even Saif Ali Khan. In 2017 the undisputed queen of small screen Ekta Kapoor made the big move by launching her own app ALT Balaji; at the time announcing her foray into digital world with the premiere of five original web series. While YRF already had a YouTube channel, Y Films, in place. A year back, filmmaker Karan Johar announced a new vertical of his company Dharmatic Entertainment, a division dedicated solely to digital content. Who’s left? The lady of the moment riding high on Gully Boy, Zoya Akhtar, is already all geared up for her web series, Made in Heaven, which is set to air tomorrow. “The format of web series interests me. One because I watch a lot of web series,” she’d said at the launch also mentioning her prolific writing because of which it was a challenge to wrap up the film in two hours. “With a web series you can always go up to eight hours.” That’s just a first of Not to mention the connect with young fan base. Like Shah Rukh Khan had once said how the youngsters do not watch TV. It’s all on the phone. “But to see a Batman or a Baahubali, they’d go to theatres.” Meanwhile, the well-past-fifty actor’s Red Chillies Entertainment, along with Netflix, is producing Bard of Blood wherein actor Emraan Hashmi plays the lead. Will SRK himself star in it? Never say never, especially if it’s digital platform. manpriya@tribunemail.com SAIF ALI KHAN IN SACRED GAMES Cop story Ayushmann Khurrana to play a policeman in Anubhav Sinha’s Article 15 Versatile actor Ayushmann Khurrana, who has will be next seen essaying the role of a police officer in filmmaker Anubhav Sinha’s Article 15. Sinha unveiled the film’s first look on Wednesday. Ayushmann said in a statement, “I’m always intrigued by the socio-political situation of our country. We hardly see films that present the situation in an unbiased way. Anubhav Sinha is one such director who understands the complexities of our country. I loved Mulk. It is the most balanced film based on communalism and extremism. And it will be an absolute pleasure to work with him on Article 15.” Sinha, who last helmed Mulk, said his new movie is an investigative drama where the audience too is an accused party. “A very challenging film that needed an extraordinary actor like Ayushmann. Delighted to have him on board with an explosive bundle of such talented and acclaimed actors,” the director said. The film, produced by Benaras Media Works, went on the floors on March 1 in Lucknow. — IANS Happiness is the key As a sea of memes hit the social media world on how Anil Kapoor is reverse ageing in terms of his looks, the veteran actor says the secret to his youthful look at 62 is happiness “inside and outside”. Anil recently posted a photograph of himself along with the cast of the upcoming film Malang. He looked so fresh and agile that he could give any of the ANIL KAPOOR (FOURTH FROM RIGHT) WITH THE CAST OF MALANG younger actors a run for their money. The photograph became fodder for social media users, who went gaga over how the Dil Dhadakne Do star is deaging. In fact, some users drew a comparison between his old and new pictures, saying how he looks younger c m y b now than his younger self. Fan club When cricketer Harbhajan Singh joined Anil’s fans in asking what the actor eats to look like a 26-year-old at the age of 62, Anil tweeted: “Happy on the inside and outside! The secret is dedication and hard work (and a few cheat days.)” The memes haven’t stopped still. Some fans pointed out how Anil is “growing younger”, others said Anil may soon act with Kareena and Saif Ali Khan’s son Taimur and still look younger, and some found humour in calling him a real-life version of “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”. One user commented how Anil could perhaps be seen as his daughter Sonam’s son in a movie. In Mohit Suri’s Malang, Anil has teamed up with Aditya Roy Kapoor, Disha Patani and Kunal Kemmu. It will release on February 14, 2020. — IANS Richie rich Reality TV star and make-up mogul Kylie Jenner has become the world’s youngest self-made billionaire, according to Forbes billionaires’ list. The 21-year-old founded and owns Kylie Cosmetics, the three-yearold beauty business that generated an estimated $360m in sales last year. She reached the milestone earlier than Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, who became a billionaire at age 23. “I didn’t expect anything. I did not foresee the future. But (the recognition) feels really good. That’s a nice pat on the back,” Kylie told Forbes. The list shows that Amazon’s founder, Jeff Bezos, remains the world’s richest man. His fortune totals $131bn, according to Forbes, up $19bn from 2018. But the billionaires’ combined worth is down from $9.1 trillion at $8.7tn. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg’s wealth is falling though. It has dropped by $8.7 billion in the past year to $62.3 billion. — IANS Kylie Jenner becomes world’s youngest billionaire

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